YOU TOO CAN ASSIST " ADAPTIVE / PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED SPORT"!!.....
THIS BLOG REMINISING ON PLACES AND PEOPLE VISITED OVER 19 YEARS OF PEDALING "PRO TOUR " RACE ROUTES". SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE VISIT .
Note that i ride alone and unassisted ! I represent NOBODY and my views in relation to " Para Sport " are personal BUT what others do is their OWN affair ! I encourage ALL to help their National Paralympic Org. assisting those living in their area with dreams of Sporting Achievement .

HELP ME TO SUPPORT THE PARALYMPIC ATHLETES

PARRABUDDY.BLOGSPOT was started to help find a way for “Adaptive / Physically Challenged / Paralympic Cyclists ” to enjoy riding their bikes on the Daily Route of the famous Pro Tour Race Routes such as the “ Giro d’Italia " and the " Tour de France " !

Through lack of support i have been unable to achieve that goal and unless people decide to assist there is little chance that my 19th season will be any more successful !

London 2012 Paralympics was amazing for ALL , not just those participating but those who followed via the Media !

Since 2009 several other Blogs have been created to cover various other subjects !

Below is a guide to their separate purposes :

In the main Parrabuddy is about “Adaptive / Physically Challenged Sport” and Health Issues.

Skippi-cyclist is about personal issues and Road Safety Issues.

SkippyAus is about matters relating to Oz and some personal memories from my life there.

Tourdafarce & Tourdafrance are about matters relating to the Pro Tour , Racers and some personal experiences during my various visits to ride the Pro Tour routes .

Skippy (blogging) is about a variety of issues on the Internet .

NOT ALL postings arrive in their correct area but I will generally try to separate my views on Doping and Sporting Fraud from Road Safety Issues .

Comments ARE WELCOMED since this shows that those reading are interested in the subject matter ! Enjoy comments made to other blogs so wonder why only " anonymous " posts here !

Over the period of these "Blogs" I have had visibility on Twitter as “Skippydetour” and on Facebook as “Skippy Mc Carthy” where Google usually advise postings on the Blogs as they occur .

When any of you visit these Blogs I hope I am able to add value to your day and provide a source of information if not inspiration . Please consider asking your friends and contacts to add their support as many of the Para Athletes are struggling to find the resources to compete in Events at regional Levels let alone National Levels .

You the reader have the possibility to help these Amazing Athletes in your own way and contacting your National Paralympic Internet Site for relevant info is a good start !

Jul 14, 2012

WIGGO

Brad from my own experience is a retiring sort of Guy ! Nor easy to approach in earlier years from my experience . Remember when he arrived for the Team Time trial in the Giro d’Italia , in the team Jaguar . I was looking to get him to autograph the Maillot that I had awaiting him . Seemed a bit distant , perhaps distracted / huffy , but then his mind would be on the business in hand ,rather than my concerns . Recently after the conclusion of the Dauphine Libere in Les Chablets I rode alongside him as he was going from one place to another and he was quite friendly as I wished him luck at the TDF . Same response from Cadel who was carrying his son on the bike as he was heading back to the Team Pullman .

Remember being in Pau at the Novotel one “ Le Tour “ rest day , saw Lance going in from the Training ride which I had missed having been with another Team . Called out for him to autograph a Maillot , but he too was hurrying . Knowing where he would be having lunch in the hotel I sat in that foyer for perhaps an hour . Knew that he would arrive eventually I was content to wait but had not realised he had gone out the other door until Eki told me as he passed .

Racers have lives and they do some things like ordinary people , but they give up a lot of their free time , to give the Media and “ fans “ the attention THEY DEMAND ! Yes , demand ! Fact is , WE THE PUBLIC , are not entitled to demand their time ! That they give up their time is a bonus ! So many want a moment with a “ personality “ from whatever activity they choose to follow , guess it gives them “ bragging rights “ ?

In these Blogs you will find numerous examples of my contact with “ personalities “ even some have asked to be introduced to me , yes me ! Happens some of their family will say “ Get his Photo or autograph “! Won’t embarrass the Aussie Cycle Racer that recently told me he needed my photo .

Seem to recall in earlier years photos of Stuey O’Grady and Robbie Mc Ewan exchanging autographs in Cycling news ! Recall the 2001 Vuelta rest day when Jimenez asked for my autograph as we rode around Barcelona , this started the others asking and it was a nightmare with me wobbling all over the road as I tried to oblige .

Reading the CNF “ Clinic “ makes you realise the depths , people will descend to in their vitriol towards those , on whom they choose to turn the spotlight . Lance of course is their No 1 target . The jealousy and hatred they exude is unbelievable , on a scale of 1 to 10 it would be 110 ! Whenever a cycle Racer wins an event , the scrutiny starts , yet to look there to see what and how much has been heaped on Dave Millar’s shoulders , after yesterday’s victory !

Millar time was the theme of his fans at Futurescope , when he won the Time Trial on his first ride in the “ Le Tour “ , and it continues a decade later . Would not surprise me if he won another Etappe before Paris , certainly he will have raised the morale of the team , which was damaged by Christian losing 10 minutes in the first week and Ryder going home injured . Read an article last night on Dave that written earliy in the week , computer crashed overnight and it was lost !

Brad’s behaviour at the Press Room was greeted with many supportive Tweets from other of the TDF Racers but one wonders what Sky Management had to say on the subject . It’s a free for all in the Press Room , most ONLY get paid when their article is used so it is necessary for them to create controversy . They got it in spades that night , may even have pushed the Lance story aside for a period . Even more speculation was created when the “ WAGS “ started tweeting about the day’s events after Froomy made an attack from the rear .

Each morning when the Team Pullman arrives in the “ Ville Depart “ the team have a meeting and discuss “ Broad Strokes “ for the day’s Etappe . Duties are assigned and “ what ifs “ are discussed in some detail . Cadel is a thorn in the side of the Sky team and they plan how to negate his plans . With Chris being by Brad’s side they have the chance to cause Cadel problems . Who is to say that Froomy dropped back as planned and then attacked , so as to cause Cadel and the others , to waste energy in a fruitless chase ?

With the TV in each team car and France 3 TV doing such a good job , Sky’s DS was able to see Cadel’s negative response . Could he then have decided that there was little point in Chris continuing the attack ? Could Brad have been left adrift in the last 4km ? If he was left alone would he have lost some time to others whilst Froomy chased hard on the possibility of taking the Etappe victory ? Critical decisions that only a Team DS can make BUT subject to the wild speculation of outsiders , particularly the media !

Much has been made of the events surrounding Sky this week and Brad has tried to help outsiders understand his POV in his blog to the English Guardian newspaper :

An interesting and articulate exposition of his point of view ! Doubt that he wrote all , no doubt dictated and then transcribed by the PR guy on the Team Pullman . Perhaps it has been playing on his mind all week and thus several versions were then polished until he was satisfied . When you see him oh the bike he looks pensive and now we see the result .

From my POV it was a well thought out article and covers most of the questions that anyone would wish answered .

I think all Pro Cyclists have a responsibility to be forthright on the subject of doping, the culture of “ Omertá “ is one that cannot be allowed to continue. My blogs are full of calls for the Racers to take responsibility and call for a “ Sports Moratorium “!

On the other hand, there is a right and wrong way of questioning cyclists about it, and half an hour after a tough mountain stage probably isn't the best time to antagonise the person who gives up their Personal time to help you earn your living .

Because of “ le Tour “ there is increased interest at this time of the year, people will still continue to point the finger because they don't appreciate that there are “ clean Racers “ and racing can be done another way . Things are slowly changing ,but it's through the strict policies of teams like Sky and Garmin that doping will be driven into a smaller segment of the minority of “ Chancers .

Was interested to read of his experiences with Team Cofidis and his decisions in Pau airport . Regrettably this was the same team that lost a Racer during this TDF . Yet so many will praise David Moncoutie for his opposition to Doping and remember also that notables such as Stuey O’Grady , Matt White , David Millar and Lance Armstrong have been members of this team over the past 15 years .

Speculation has surfaced in the last days as to who should lead the Sky Team until Paris . Bjarne Riis was replaced by Jan Ulrich some years back during the 1996 “ Le tour “ but one hopes that there is no substance to those thoughts . One thing is clear from Chris’s comments , and that is that he follows Team Orders . When the TDF is over there will be time for the Media to consider who should employ his talents ! I think that SKY will reward him for his efforts and he will lead their other teams as a Captain if he chooses that path .

During the Dauphine libere i asked you to voice support for the " PARALYMPIC GAMES " . Your PR guy , to whom i also addressed this request , would also have mentioned this request to you . With your Foundation you are able to help many people but the Media need to be reminded , constantly , that there are many less fortunate than you or i needing " Sponsors " to achieve their best in Sport .

Calling on John Fahey of WADA and Jacques Rogge of IOC , to put an end to " Doping " by introducing a " Sports Moratorium " is perhaps the best approach to cutting the " gordian knot " ! My articles http://bit.ly/Obuo0C & http://goo.gl/fb/q7UXl ask them to ACT ! TIME PEOPLE got a grip on the situation and made those with " skeletons in the closet " confess and reveal their disdeeds , so that those in Sport are aware of whom they are dealing with !As Johan Bruyneel said " It's windy at the Top "! Whilst you have the audience , you can achieve what few others would like to be able to get , a result !

Brad as I said to you , on our last meeting , “ Be the best you can be , everything else is icing on the cake “!

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ASSISTING PARALYMPIC SPORT

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